35 KINGSWOOD DR. IN KING TOWNSHIP
WHAT: A family-oriented house with 14,000 square feet of living space, including seven bedrooms and five bathrooms, on a 3-1/2-acre lot.
ASKING PRICE: $3.65-million
TAXES: $20,950 (2007)
AGENT: Laceby Real Estate Ltd. (Lynda Laceby and Diana Dunlap)
AMENITIES: The most striking feature of this house is its large indoor swimming pool in a two-tiered space with a high timber-framed ceiling, second-floor balcony and walkouts to the garden.
The kitchen has limestone countertops, stainless-steel European appliances and an eating area that overlooks the pool. An in-floor heating system keeps the house warm without drying the air.
Upstairs, the master suite has a gas fireplace, walk-in closet, private balcony and a five-piece ensuite bathroom. In addition to the gas fireplace, there are four wood-burning ones in the house.
The third floor includes an office and a playroom with views over the landscape.
On the lower level, there is a nanny suite, exercise area, sauna and recreation room with wet bar.
Outside, perennial gardens surround water features and a hot tub. A 900-square-foot sundeck and patios provide spots for outdoor entertaining. Walking trails cut through the rear of the property, and provide access to conservation lands.
While the house he designed for clients in King Township measures 14,000 square feet, architect Denis Bowman says they were more concerned with building a comfortable family home than in impressing neighbours with a lot of "curb appeal."
"They did not want it to be an ostentatious building," he says of the residence at 35 Kingswood Dr., built about seven years ago.
The tree-covered site presented a challenge, the King City architect explains. He strived to maximize the amount of light entering the structure by positioning the "windows in the right places."
"It's not a glass box by any means."
The first thing visitors see when they walk in the door is the striking staircase, which spirals down four levels from top to bottom. The architect says the design eliminated the need for multiple stairways, giving more space for the main rooms, square feet that otherwise would have been taken up by hallways and landings. The design also allows sunlight to penetrate the centre of the house."It's a device we've used for a long, long time — long before circular staircases became popular," he says. "You get light right the way through."
That staircase design, along with a sloping grade at the back that allows for floor-to-ceiling windows, brightens the lowest level throughout.
"We would regard this house as not having a basement — it's a walkout lower floor," Mr. Bowman notes.
The homeowner, who asked that her name not be used, points to the first-floor sunroom as one of her favourite places. "This is a beautiful room because it gets sun all day long. Even on a cloudy day, it's the best place to come and sit."
She adds that the sunlight is always filtered through the trees so that the room never becomes baking hot. Doors from the sunroom lead to a balcony overlooking a rock garden.
Next to the sunroom is the dining room, where details such as cove lighting allow the owner to change the ambience of the space, depending on the occasion. "It's a very romantic room; there are so many ways to highlight [it]," the homeowner says.
The kitchen features custom-built cabinets, a walk-in pantry and limestone countertops. The Thermador cook top has a griddle and grill.
"You have two dishwashers hidden, which is wonderful," the owner adds. "I love having two dishwashers."
Doors in the kitchen lead to the indoor pool, which sits in a two-level space with a soaring ceiling. Mr. Bowman says the upper-level balcony with running track is an uncommon feature.
"I can't think of any other pool where we've put a running track around the second level."
Because the space is self-contained, the smell of chlorine doesn't permeate the rest of the house, the owner says.
"The children love it all-year round," she adds, but explains that the pool doors are kept locked and have an alarm system separate from the rest of the house.
"When the children were young, I knew the pool [alarm] was armed. If they opened a door into the pool room, I would have known immediately."
The main idea behind the timber-framed roof was "to create a sense of loftiness," she says. "So many indoor pools feel enclosed."
The homeowner also wanted the house to have a feeling of being outdoors, so Mr. Bowman included 10 doors on the upper level of the pool space and seven on the lower. Screens can be pulled down to keep insects out, or slid from sight when swimmers want an unobstructed view.
"On a summer day with all of the doors open on both levels, you really do feel as if you're outside."
It's also possible to create different lighting effects to make the pool glow green or violet or blue. A window in the family room next to the kitchen overlooks the whole pool area.
On the second floor, the house has four bedrooms of approximately equal size. The homeowner decorated the bathrooms with porcelain tiles from Italy and Portugal. The ensuite master bathroom has views of the woods in back.
"I've never worried about curtains, to be honest," the homeowner says. "They never seemed necessary."
The third floor has a large office with reclaimed wood floors and an ensuite bathroom. There's also a playroom for the kids with windows on three sides.
"It has fabulous views," agent Diana Dunlap says of the third-floor perch.
The house has a radiant in-floor heating system made by Legalett of Sweden. Because the system doesn't use ductwork, the heat spreads more evenly and the house has less dust. Concrete floors and walls make the house unusually solid and soundproof.
"It's a mighty fortress," agent Lynda Laceby says.
Altogether, there are five walkouts to various terraces and balconies on various floor. The pool and exercise rooms have two more.
Outside, a rock garden was created out of necessity to add heft to the sandy moraine. "The rockery is huge; it runs along the whole side of the property," the owner says.
Waves of perennials and grasses — including lavender, lilies, Japanese blood grass, black-eyed Susan, purple coneflower and sedum — have been planted around the Wiarton stone.
"It's like a rock retaining wall but done beautifully with grasses and lilies," Ms. Dunlap says. "It's beautiful in the winter too."
Inconspicuous at the rear is a hot tub nestled in among the rocks.
The property has white pine, birch, spruce and scotch pine trees. "The architect worked really hard to site the house so we wouldn't lose too many trees," the homeowner says of the mature evergreens in front.
"It's a really nice street to live on: It's very quiet and very private," she adds.
16
